Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department can't find builder for new station

A Fairhope Volunteer Fire Department truck sits outside the Village Square shopping center in downtown Fairhope following an earlier fire. The department is searching for a contractor to build a fire station for the agency. (File photo)

FAIRHOPE, Alabama — Plans to build a new fire station near Publix Super Market have hit a snag, after the Volunteer Fire Department could not find a builder for the right price, according to Chief Chris Ellis.

Two years ago, the Fairhope Planning and Zoning Commission approved locating a fire station at Parker Road, just off U.S. 98.

But that could change, and the fire department’s options for its fourth station include the possibility of another location, Ellis said.

Though he could not say what other spots the department has in mind, Ellis said that earlier this month the department could not find a contractor to build a new station for roughly $500,000.

The planning commission had approved the Parker Road site after being assured that sirens would be silenced until fire trucks reached U.S. 98, city officials said. Neighboring residents had complained about noise already created because of the shopping center.

In 2009, officials had hoped that a roughly $560,000 federal grant would help build the station.

The fire station was to be built on land donated to the city by Arthur Corte, the developer of the property that includes the upscale supermarket.

But the grant was denied last year, meaning the new station would have to be paid for through the fire department’s tax revenue, Ellis said.

Ellis said the grant “would’ve been a help, but I don’t know how much of a hindrance it is not getting it.”

The department operates independently of the city but receives a portion of Baldwin County tax proceeds designated for use by the county’s 36 departments.

“At this point, we’re on hold, and we’re looking at all our options,” the chief said.

City Council members have said that a new station would help maintain the city’s Class 4 rating by the Insurance Service Office Inc., or ISO.

That rating, which ranges from 1 to 10, is based on incident response times and personnel training, as well as the quality of city water service, and affects insurance rates in the city.

Meanwhile, a new station remains in the planning stage, according to the chief.